Cardinal Newman Earns Respect, Goes Home To Hamilton With Hardware. Got It Done #Together
WINDSOR,ON–First they eliminated NPH #4 ranked team St. Marguerite D’Youville in the quarter final, which would take them to a semi final against #1 St. Michael’s where they would lose by just nine points and go on to play against #3 Holy Trinity for AAAA Bronze. The Cardinal Newman Cardinals meant buisness, holding Holy Trinity to their lowest scoring game of the tournament, allowing just 32 points.
No matter who Andrew Sergi (Cardinals Head Coach)threw in the line up, he was sure that they were going to keep up the defensive intensity; that is ultimately what got them this far. Everyone in the Cardinal flock was aware of what is at stake.
“There was a will to win, this game meant something to us. We had lost to Trinity three times this year and we didn’t want it to be number four. We were also playing for win number 40 for the season,” explained coach Sergi.
With contributions from all five starters; Phillip Cunningham-Gillen, AJ Manguerrra, Jake Marquette, Daniel Peterman and their leader David McCulloch it was hard to stop their run in the second quarter. While they were scoring, the held the Holy Trinity Titans in under double digit scoring for three out of the four quarters.
The beauty of the Cardinals offense is that every player on the floor is unselfish and has given in to the idea of getting the job done together. It is evident through their ball movement and the way they pick each other up when they hit the deck. In all games at Ofsaa there was no team that was able to turn good shots into great shots the way the Cardinals did with use of the extra pass.
Nine players for Cardinal Newman got on the board in the bronze medal game.
Lakehead commit Nolan Mackenzie attacked hard on every possession and got between the gaps, netting 15 points and five assists. His efforts would not be enough to keep the game within reach.
This tournament served as an official coming out party for McCulloch and Tyler Brown, who will be back next year to suit up for Cardinal Newman. We have been familiar with McCulloch for the past two years as he’s continued to display a high basketball IQ and a great understanding for floor spacing. He’s shaping up to be a high level CIS player. With added muscle mass in the off season, he will become a serious problem for opponents.
Brown on the other hand is a highly defensive minded guard; he infuses the rest of the team with energy and has the killer instinct you want from your PG. Once he learns how to harness it and use it to his advantage he will be a dangerous weapon on both ends of the floor.
The coaches are very humble and credit the team’s success to their kids for all the hard work they put in and all the workouts they show up for, even during off season. From an outsiders perspective, much respect should be given to the coaching staff, managers and statician who fulfill their roles and play an intricate part in the teams execution.
NPH will continue to keep close tabs on this team and it’s players throughout the summer as we track their individual progress. Congratulations to Cardinal Newman on it’s Bronze medal here at AAA Ofsaa.
